It may have been a slightly less frantic summer than usual but flash flooding, Olympic relays and Jubilee celebrations have all contributed to a busy summer for RNLI staff.

It may have been a slightly less frantic summer than usual but flash flooding, Olympic relays and Jubilee celebrations have all contributed to a busy summer for RNLI staff.

The team’s lifeboats launched 496 times in Wales over a three-month period to August, a slight drop on last year’s total of 559.

Across the UK and Ireland, RNLI launches over the period are down 2% compared to the 2011 figures. A spokeswoman said the decline was probably due to the rainy weather at the beginning of the summer season.

“In total, RNLI lifeboats launched 3,575 times this summer, a slight drop on last year’s figure of 3,633,” she said.

“The busiest Welsh station was Trearddur Bay lifeboat station in Anglesey, launching their inshore lifeboat 35 times over the three month period to help members of the public in trouble on the coast.

“The North Wales lifeboat station was closely followed by Tenby’s RNLI volunteers who launched their inshore and all-weather lifeboats 31 times over the summer.”

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